


not expected

by amjnyard



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Skype, theres no crime families or murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-25 21:12:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14387217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amjnyard/pseuds/amjnyard
Summary: Neil’s halfway through his fifteenth lap around the court when he decides he hates Andrew Minyard. It’s not that Minyard’s specifically targeted Neil or anything, but Neil is positive the other man is out to get him. What other reason would Minyard have for provoking Coach? Neil knows that Minyard earned the team thirty laps on purpose. He can’t prove it yet, but he plans to.See, it isn’t that Minyard’s flat out told Neil to go fuck himself, although Neil’s sure he’s thought about it many times. It isn’t even that Minyard has been physically aggressive towards Neil, which he’s seen on many occasions. It’s more the fact that right before Minyard mouthed off to Coach, earning thirty laps for the whole team, he sent Neil a smug grin, a challenge evident.Neil’s never been one to back down from a challenge.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is in a weird au where i don't really describe any of the details of the universe. sorry

Neil’s halfway through his fifteenth lap around the court when he decides he hates Andrew Minyard. It’s not that Minyard’s specifically targeted Neil or anything, but Neil is positive the other man is out to get him. What other reason would Minyard have for provoking Coach? Neil knows that Minyard earned the team thirty laps on purpose. He can’t prove it yet, but he plans to. 

See, it isn’t that Minyard’s flat out told Neil to go fuck himself, although Neil’s sure he’s thought about it many times. It isn’t even that Minyard has been physically aggressive towards Neil, which he’s seen on many occasions. It’s more the fact that right before Minyard mouthed off to Coach, earning thirty laps for the whole team, he sent Neil a smug grin, a challenge evident. 

Neil’s never been one to back down from a challenge. 

The rest of the team is not as happy about the beginning of Neil and Andrew’s feud as they are. Dan gets up in his face one day to let him know just how she feels about Neil quote-tearing this team apart-unquote. 

“He started it,” Neil shrugs, picking at what’s left of his pizza. Dan slams her hand down on the red laminated table. Neil gives her an unimpressed look and she keeps a straight face somehow. 

“Listen, Josten,” she’s pointing a finger at him now and Neil tries to act like he’s been shamed. He lowers his eyes a little, drops the crust and fidgets in his chair. Dan doesn’t seem to buy it but she doesn’t call him out. “I know Minyard is the devil incarnate, but he also protects the goal like his life depends on it.” Neil resists the urge to roll his eyes. 

“If you fuck up his freaky ability to defend the goal, I will personally track you down,” Dan grins, a glint in her eye, “and sign you up for a marathon? Understood?” 

Neil’s head snaps up. “Have you been reading Wymack’s playbook or something?” He sputters and Dan laughs, snatching the crust from his plate. 

She shrugs, looking smug. “So tell me about this guy you’ve been chatting with online,” she crows, scooching her chair over so she can peer at Neil’s phone. Neil feels slightly uncomfortable but pulls up the anonymous site anyways. 

“It’s completely anonymous,” he explains, scrolling through the different chat threads. “The point is to find someone you’re compatible with on a deeper level than just physical. Or something like that.” Neil clears his throat, wishing the whole thing sounded less... cliche. Or like a bad romcom starring Sandra Bullock. 

Maybe sensing his embarrassment, Dan backs away a little. “I think it’s cute,” she offers, crossing her arms and giving Neil a genuine smile. “Have you met anyone good yet?” And again, Neil resists the urge to flee the scene. 

He hesitates just a beat too long, and Dan grins triumphantly. “What’s her name?” She urges, leaning close again. 

“He goes by Joseph,” Neil says, surprised by his own lack of nerves. While he’s never explicitly come out to anyone on the team, it’s not like he’s kept it as some huge secret. Whatever Dan was expecting, she doesn’t show it. Instead, she beams, and waves Neil on to tell more about his anonymous crush.

The thing is, Neil didn’t expect to actually find anyone online. He joined partly as a joke and partly as a way to get Allison and Dan off his back about “not talking to anyone” and “becoming an Exy recluse like Day,” which granted, might have been slightly true. But Neil’s point still stands. He’s not some charity case to coo over and to pity.

So Neil caved and downloaded this... dating app? He’s not quite sure and at this point, he’s in too far to ask any questions. And at first, it was just a joke. He fielded the ten or so requests for dick pics every hour and managed to start up a decent conversation with a couple of people. 

Still, Neil hadn’t really clicked with anyone until he started talking with Joseph. It had been an accident really. The app encouraged the members to make their profile picture something they cared about, to accurately reflect their personality. Or something. Neil spent almost 30 minutes trying to get the perfect picture of the Exy court to use.

By some strange coincidence, Joseph played Exy as well, and the two of them started up a conversation, although Neil wasn’t entirely sure that Joseph cared about Exy all that much. Their conversation drifted to other matters, like the perfect ratio of sprinkles to ice cream and the best number of cats to own, so the apartment feels lived in but doesn’t smell of cats. 

His fingers hover over the message button. 

 

_You around?_

—

Andrew pauses. He’s supposed to be driving Kevin to the court. 

_no_

And then he pauses again, Kevin thumping on the door impatiently. “Andrew, get your ass out here,” he shouts and Andrew flexes his fist. 

_i will be 2nite tho_

Shoving his phone deep into his bag, Andrew rushes out of his room, practically barrelling into Kevin, who looks affronted at Andrew’s very existence. “Get in the fucking car,” Andrew snaps, his cousin and brother scrambling to get to the door before Andrew. 

“What’s got you in such a bad mood?” Nicky teases, slinging his bag over his shoulder. Andrew doesn’t reply, simply staring at his cousin. Nicky holds his hands up in reproach, sliding into the elevator. The doors are almost shut when Neil Josten slides in, brushing his hair away from his face before he freezes like a deer caught in the headlights. 

Andrew grins at him, sharklike. 

They make it to the court without incident and Andrew is slightly disappointed when Neil scurries off the second they get there. He expected more of a challenge from Josten. Andrew’s quickly distracted by a message from Abram. 

_What did you have in mind?_

Andrew had a lot of things in mind, but he’s not quite sure if they’ve reached that level. Standing in front of his locker, Andrew absently drops his bag, typing something out on his phone before deleting it. His fingers hover over the screen for a moment, before he shoots off a quick reply and pulls his shirt off. 

_u hav skype??_

—

 

Neil takes a perverse sort of pleasure in counting the number of times he manages to ricochet a ball off of Minyard’s helmet. Of course, Minyard slams balls back at his knees so Neil has to become a fucking ninja so he’s not out for the whole season. Neil’s can’t seem to catch his breath, but the look on Kevin’s face as Andrew gets nailed for the fifteenth time fills Neil with the urge to laugh uncontrollably. 

When Coach drags Neil and Andrew off the court for a powwow, that urge fades a little. “Tighten the fuck up,” he snaps, both verbally and physically. His fingers click in front of Neil’s face and he glances up, feigning innocence. 

“I’m sorry Coach,” he says blithely and Minyard shuffles next to him. Coach seems flustered and merely points a finger at the two of them in warning, before ordering them to get back on the court. 

Of course, because Coach doesn’t seem to understand the motive behind Neil’s sudden inability to hit the net instead of Andrew, he makes Minyard run drills with Neil. Minyard slams his racket against Neil’s before they split up, and Neil could have sworn he saw a glint of Andrew’s teeth as if Minyard was actually enjoying himself. 

By the end of practice, Neil is more sore than he’s been in a long, long time. But when he gets back to the locker room, some of those aches seem to fade away. 

_Now I do._

_When?_

When Neil gets back to his room, he jumps in the shower, his mind racing. He’s not sure what tonight’s going to entail but he can’t help the fact Skyping with Joseph is incredibly enticing. He barely hears Matt holler something about going to Dan’s for the night over the water, and when Neil steps out of the shower, he towels off minimally, pulling on a pair of sweatpants. 

He lounges on his bed on his stomach, clicking through the Skype program, pausing briefly over the username. He types in NAbram10, before texting his username to Joseph. It seems like only seconds later until his phone is going off again. 

_no faces & do what i tell u_

There’s nothing and then 

_dont talk either_

Neil rolls onto his back, placing the computer on his stomach, holding his phone over his face. He’s only barely finished reading the last message from Joseph before his computer is ringing with an incoming call. Neil plugs in his headphones, just in case, makes sure his door is locked and rushes back to the bed to set up the computer so his body but not his face is visible. 

The computer rings again, and Neil clicks accept. The chat is to the left and Neil can see someone else clad in black and fuck, if he’s not eager. He almost would think himself pathetic if not for the fact that almost instantly a message pops in. **lean back** and Neil complies, arching his back slightly. 

The other man adjusts himself and another message comes in **touch urself** and Neil almost says something but catches himself before he can. **What?** he shoots back, a flush rising on the back of his neck. 

**your dick** Joseph responds. **if ur ok w it, i want to watch u get off** and Neil bites his lip. Just the idea makes him a little uncertain, but he’s half hard just from the suggestion. He hesitates again and there’s already a little text bubble popping up and even if Neil isn’t sure of himself, he knows how strict Joseph with consent and he knows he doesn’t want this to end. 

He inches his sweatpants down a little so his dick can breath and wraps a hand around himself. Just the touch of his hand makes him gasp a little and he bites his lip, resisting the urge to let his head fall back against the headboard of his bed. Neil somehow manages to retain his wits and begins moving his hand, jacking himself off. 

Neil isn’t a stranger to masturbating, but he’s never felt quite so exposed as he does now. He’s surprised at how comfortable he feels having Joseph watching him and wonders if he might have a bit of an exhibition kink. Not that it matters. He’s reached the point where he probably wouldn’t be able to stop. 

Joseph doesn’t seem to want that either if the slowness of his replies is any indicator. **u can close ur eyes** comes through and as Neil pushes himself closer to the edge, he does. His head hits the wood with a dull thud, biting his lip so hard he thinks he might be bleeding. 

Any last hesitation or uncomfortableness that might have remained was gone by that point. Neil’s world consisted of his hand on his dick, the pleasure coursing through him and the idea that the guy who he’d been semi-flirting with was watching him get off. He’s right on the edge when he opens his eyes and sees Joseph with his hand in his pants and the fantasy that Joseph has replaced Neil’s own hand hits him so suddenly that Neil comes into his hand. 

“Fuck,” he hisses, still blinking as he tries to come down from his high. Rolling over slightly to grab a box of tissues, Neil wipes himself off before quickly turning his attention back to the screen. Sometime in between orgasming, moving away and cleaning up, Joseph came as well or at least took his hand off his dick. **Are you finished too?** Neil types slowly, not quite sure where they go from here. 

**dont be stupid** comes through before the call cuts out. Neil’s phone buzzes moments later with a new text from Joseph. 

_again 2morrow_

_if u want_

Neil wants that very much, actually. 

—

 

To Andrew’s great surprise, watching Abram get off on his computer screen and desperately trying to do the same without being conspicuous becomes almost a nightly ritual. Andrew has never felt so attracted to anyone in his life and he almost hates himself for it. But he definitely hates Abram more. 

The longer he watches Abram, the more he talks to him about irrelevant shit, the more he learns about him, the more he wants to fuck him and hold him and kiss him and tell him in person just how much he hates him. 

Andrew learns that Abram’s mother died when he was young. He learns that Abram hates vegetables but loves fruit. He learns that Abram would run away from his life if he could and Andrew wants. Andrew also wants to quite literally lick Abram’s toned stomach, but he wants the emotions and feelings too. Which both confuses and disgusts him in equal measure. Andrew’s used to apathy and hatred and distaste, but he’s not used to an absence of those feelings. 

Maybe because Andrew’s so conflicted, he becomes a menace on the court. Wilds’ words, not his. Josten has become unbearable as well, and Andrew severely enjoys their feud. It’s one of the few things in his life he can count on not changing. The sun rises in the east, Kevin gets hard over Exy, and Josten is an irritating fuck up. And so the world goes on. 

Neil and Andrew get assigned to do press together after a particularly rigorous game, which confuses Andrew because everyone on the team knows how they feel about each other, but he goes anyway. If Josten is good at anything, it’s mouthing off to the press and Andrew loves having first row seats to the flaming trainwreck. 

This is probably when the press catches wind of it. Andrew’s still not quite sure how it happens.

—

 

“Neil!” The overly excited news reporter shoves her microphone in Neil’s face and he resists the urge to take a step back. He pastes a bland smile onto his face. Minyard snorts from behind him, typing something furiously into his phone. Neil’s pocket buzzes but he stares straight ahead. “Tell us how you think the season’s going to go.” 

What a stupid question. Everyone knows the Foxes’ reputation, knows they live and breath the court. Minyard snorts again, still on his phone and Neil clenches his teeth. He knows he should keep his mouth shut, but he’s tired and in the mood to start a fight. 

Coach is going to kill him. 

“I think the season’s off to a really great start!” Neil exclaims, plastering a brilliantly fake smile onto his face. He thinks he might be showing too many teeth for this to sell, but the reporter seems to be lapping it up. “I just wish some of the members on the team would put in a little more effort, but once we get to that place, I really think we’ll be unstoppable,” Neil smiles winningly, as the reporter’s face muddles. 

He can sense Minyard raising his head and can feel the eyes boring into the back of his head. The reporter’s eyes flick back between him and Minyard and Neil’s smile strains. “Do you mean...” She pauses, uncertainty crossing her face in flickers and Neil almost feels bad for her. 

“No more questions, sorry,” he shrugs and turns away, walking back to the locker room. Neil almost thinks that’s the end of it. 

It’s not. 

The next day, Coach drags Neil into his office before practice. Dan follows behind him, standing in front of the door, her arms crossed. Neil puts on a blank face, not entirely sure where this is going. Coach slides a phone over to him, nodding his head. 

Neil picks it up, and when he sees the headline he has to resist the urge to laugh. “Foxes: Friends or Foes?” Coach does not seem impressed. “I will take you off press duty, Neil,” he snaps, and Neil nods seriously. He makes all the right promises, no he won’t antagonize Andrew, yes he will work extra hard during practice, no he won’t encourage a rivalry. 

But the seed is already planted. All Neil has to do is lean back and watch it grow. He almost feels bad for Coach, because he can’t really see a scenario where he and Minyard get along. 

Neil barely even has to try for the media and fanbase to put the pieces together about who he may have been talking about. Neil remains tight lipped during press conferences and he’s never paired up with Andrew anymore. All it takes is one throw of his racket after Minyard misses a goal and a dramatic video of Neil stomping up to the net to confront Minyard for the hashtag #MinyardJostenRivalry to be trending on Twitter. 

Neil’s rather proud of himself. 

Minyard takes to the rivalry swimmingly and Neil grows increasingly paranoid of his shark like smile over Neil’s shoulder. Minyard never gets very physical with Neil, but the balls that hurtle his way during practice don’t seem to indicate very friendly feelings. Neil retaliates by slamming every shot he takes against Minyard’s goal as hard as he can. 

Neil’s sitting in his customary spot in the lounge, typing aggressively to Joseph, feeling moodier than usual. Minyard’s been a prick and if Neil were a more violent person he would have started swinging already. Ironically, the closer he and Joseph have become, the more polarized he and Minyard have ended up. 

_Do you ever just want to tell someone to fuck off_ Neil texts as Andrew walks in, surrounded by his entourage, ignoring the cat picture Joseph had sent him before. 

Andrew’s on his phone, not even paying attention to Neil and he grits his teeth. 

_all the time_ and Neil snorts, Andrew’s eyes flicking up cooly as he takes in Neil sprawled in his chair. 

_How do you not then?_ When Neil looks up, Andrew is still considering him. He wishes Joseph would respond so he wouldn’t tell Minyard to fuck off. Neil glances away for a moment as Dan enters the room and waves hi to him, and by the time he looks back to where Minyard was, Andrew’s already moved on. 

_most of the time i do_

—

 

It’s somewhere between Neil’s distraction from Exy and messages coming from Abram at the same time as Neil texting, that Andrew begins to suspect. They’ve so far never traded very much personal information, keeping with anonymity and all that, but Andrew isn’t stupid. Abram plays Exy, Abram is at odds with a member of his team, Abram likes to run. 

Neil plays Exy, Neil hates Andrew, Neil would outrun his life if he could. 

Andrew’s not sure how to feel about this. It isn’t like he suddenly stops wanting to fuck Abram. Instead, he’s started picturing Neil and Abram as they same. He finds himself watching Neil on the court, even more so than usual. He watches the flexing of Neil’s arms in the way he wields his racquet and the way Neil has to stop to catch his breath after running too much. He watches the small half-smiles Neil gives Wilds and Boyd and wants. 

Instead of pining over a stranger, he’s obsessed with someone he hates, and Andrew’s not sure which is worse. He tries to drop hints through their texting but Neil remains incredibly obtuse. Andrew would hate him if he didn’t want to kiss him so much. Andrew thinks this might be karma for everything he’s done wrong in his life. 

Instead of punishing himself, Andrew takes out his irritation on the court. He’s almost as bad as Kevin and Andrew isn’t sure whether to be sickened by that or not. He pushes the backliners mercilessly during games and nearly decapitates Neil daily during practice. 

After another nightly Skype session with Neil, or Abram or whoever, Andrew can’t take it anymore. Any inhibitions Neil may have had are long gone by now and the sight of Neil wrapping his fingers around his dick is almost more than he can take. Andrew gets off almost embarrassingly quick and slams the computer shut when he’s finished. 

Snatching his phone up off of the bed, he angrily texts Neil over the app. 

_i want 2 meet_ he sends, losing all control he may have once possessed. There’s a long period of time where no answer comes through and Andrew thinks he may have fucked everything up before his phone buzzes. 

_When?_

He pauses, the anger fading away. Is this what he wants? Andrew thinks about losing the tentative relationship he’s established with Neil. The thought almost makes him sick. He thinks about getting to touch Neil, in more than a “I’m trying to break your arm way” and looks down at his phone, the question floating in front of him. 

_tomorrow_

––

Neil’s slumped over a table in the Starbucks close to court. He’s the level of tired where he thinks if he moves too fast, he might throw up. He ordered a plain coffee which is cooling on the table in front of him and Neil presses his forehead into the slightly sticky wood of the table. It’s cool though, and takes his mind off the events going to take place in the next five minutes or so. 

He’s been privately thanking Joseph for the past twenty minutes for picking this location. Neil won’t even be late to practice. 

The chair next to his screeches loudly as it’s dragged across the tiled floor and Neil rolls his head to the side. Andrew Minyard is standing next to him, sliding into the chair, and sliding it forward, a cup of coffee in his hand. 

Scratch that thought, Neil thinks to himself. He’s about to be very fucking late for practice. 

“What are you doing here,” he accuses, not working to hide the sneer in his voice. Andrew doesn’t say anything, just slides his phone across the table so Neil can see. He catches a glimpse of the app, his last message a picture of his coffee and slumps in his chair. 

“How long have you known?” Neil finally asks, the silence smothering him. 

He can feel Andrew’s eyes on him, shifts so he can look at Andrew without making eye contact, watches the way his shoulders tense ever so slightly. “A couple of weeks,” he replies, and Neil lets his head drop back down to his arms. 

“You were just going to keep stringing me along?” Neil asks, trying desperately to keep the hurt out of his voice. He’s not sure if he succeeds. 

There’s a long pause before Andrew answers again, and the sound of the coffee shop around them tries and fails to drown out the screeching in his head. It all comes to a halt with Andrew shifting in his chair. “I...” He pauses, clears his throat. Neil looks up. He doesn’t think he’s ever heard Andrew sound so uncertain and open before. “I didn’t want it to end. Not yet.” 

“Then why?” 

Neil’s sitting up now, leaning on the table towards Andrew. “I wanted you. To know it was me,” Andrew says, meeting Neil’s gaze without hesitation. “I didn’t want it to be a lie. Or a misunderstanding.” Neil sees the unbidden grimace flash across Andrew’s face at the last word, knows what this is costing him. 

“And does it have to end?” He ventures, moving forwards. 

Andrew assesses him, his face blank. “Only if you want it to.” 

Neil can’t breathe. He doesn’t want to move for fear of scaring Andrew away. He wants to test this tentative olive branch Andrew’s holding his way. “Okay.” Andrew rolls his eyes and pushes back from the table. 

He grabs Neil’s coffee and takes a sip, immediately grimacing. “What is this shit? It tastes like a car battery.” He must see something in Neil’s face because he points a finger at Neil. “Don’t say a fucking word.” 

Neil just shrugs, choking down the slight grin pulling at his mouth. “We’re late. Come on,” he says finally, getting up from his chair. Andrew doesn’t say anything but when Neil turns, Andrew’s following behind him. The memory of Andrew’s predatory grin still hovers in his mind, but Neil thinks he doesn’t quite mind it. 

He can’t separate Joseph from Andrew anymore. He thinks of the fury Andrew unleashes upon the court, the rage bubbling under the icy surface. He thinks of the brusque kindness and developing relationship Joseph started to give him. He thinks of the way Andrew has seemed distracted the past few weeks and the way Joseph had become more and more involved in their chats.

No, he doesn’t think he minds at all. 

—

Andrew follows Neil the whole way to the court, his mind racing. He feels rattled, wants to get on the court and let loose of this feeling. They walk into the common room, and Andrew expects it to be empty. Neil stops in front of him, and Andrew’s moving to fast to stop, so he run into Neil’s back. 

He takes two steps to the right, and sees what Neil is seeing. The room, filled with their team. Nicky looks dumbstruck and Wilds and Boyd look angry. Coach looks resigned and Kevin just looks mad he’s been kept away from the court. 

“Where have the two of you been?” Wilds demands, her arms crossed so tight Andrew thinks her blood circulation might cut off. 

Andrew thinks Neil opens his mouth to answer, but he cuts him off. “We just ran into each other outside,” he says, like he’s bored. Andrew throws a casual arm around Neil’s shoulders, not liking the way Neil stiffens under him. 

Wilds eyes him. “You two better be on my court in five minutes. I’ll be counting. Don’t be late.” Andrew considers asking or what but thinks it’s better if he doesn’t go down that road. 

“Or what?” He asks, hoping being contrary can shake out the feeling still crawling under his skin. 

Wilds fixes him with a cold stare. “You’ll run a mile for every minute you’re late.” As the rest of the team gets up to move to the court, she points at him. “Don’t fucking test me.” Andrew grins menacingly at her, fingering the armbands that hold his knives. 

“Oh captain my captain,” he murmurs mockingly and he hears Neil snort behind him. Andrew turns to Neil, having almost forgotten he was there. “Move,” he snaps, and he thinks he actually sees Neil consider ignoring him. 

Andrew needs to wash his hands of this. 

—

Neil trails into the locker room after Andrew. He feels flushed, embarrassed like he’s done something wrong. Which he hasn’t. But it feels like he has. He starts changing out, toeing off his shoes and reaching up to talk off his shirt when he notices Andrew isn’t moving. “What are you doing?” He asks, taking a step back as Andrew moves closer. “What are you doing,” he asks again, the question dropping off as Andrew wedges himself against Neil. 

Neil backs up, hitting the cold locker grate. “Andrew,” he murmurs again, the name coming out reverent. Andrew doesn’t give him time to respond before he’s kissing him eagerly. Andrew’s mouth is hot and intent on his, not giving Neil time to catch his breath. 

His hands are pressing at Neil, creeping up under his shirt. Andrew pulls away slightly, his face still millimeters away from Neil’s. He wouldn’t admit it, but Neil makes an embarrassingly needy sound as Andrew withdraws. “Is this okay?” Andrew says, voice hoarse. 

Neil doesn’t say anything, still trying to pull Andrew back onto him. “Neil,” Andrew says firmly. Louder. “Is this okay?”

Neil nods impatiently. “Yes, yes,” he answers, voice lowering. “Andrew, please,” and tries to pull him back in again. Andrew agrees this time, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses on Neil’s neck. His hands wander down Neil’s chest, tugging lightly, questioning at his pants. 

Neil breaks away, his head slamming against the locker. Dull pain echoes through his head. “What if someone walks in?” 

Andrew rolls his eyes. He kisses Neil once, pulls away. “I’ll threaten to carve their eyes out with a spoon,” he breathes, leaning in to kiss Neil again. Neil’s not sure why he’s so turned on by that statement. He starts nodding before he knows what he’s doing but he knows he doesn’t want this to end. 

Andrew’s kissing him with an edge of desperation, tugging down Neil’s sweatpants as he goes. He moves down, kissing Neil’s neck and using one hand to pin Neil against the locker. Then he’s on his knees, blonde hair mussed as he looks up at Neil. “Don’t say a fucking word.” 

Then his mouth is on Neil’s dick and all he can hear is the rushing in his ears. He chokes out Andrew’s name once, clenching his hands at his side, trying not to weave his fingers through Andrew’s hair. Andrew still has him pinned to the locker, one hand on his hip, the other on his thigh as his mouth works around Neil. 

He’s rough in blowing Neil as he is in anything else. There’s a hint of teeth and the scraping makes Neil even more sensitive. His hips stutter forward and Andrew pushes Neil back harder, controlling his movements. Neil thinks wildly he’s going to have a bruise in the shape of Andrew’s hand on his hip and doesn’t think he minds as much as he should. 

By the time it’s over, Neil’s sitting on the ground. Andrew is still on his knees in front of Neil, and he’s breathing harder than usual, a slight stiffness to his shoulders. “Andrew,” Neil says, and Andrew’s head snaps up. He focuses on Neil with none of his usual heat. “Let me.” He gestures for Andrew to move closer and he only hesitates for a moment before complying. 

Neil reaches into Andrew’s sweatpants, wrapping his hand around Andrew’s dick. This is familiar to him, the motions, but watching the way Andrew’s face shutters without his permission stirs something foreign in Neil. Andrew stays relatively composed, the clenching of his fingers in Neil’s shirt and the way he closes his eyes tightly the only tells. 

They sit there on the ground, side by side, breathing evening out. “Fuck,” Neil hisses suddenly, jolting and Andrew lazily looks over at him. “What time is it?” 

Andrew barely shrugs, watching on with disinterest as Neil scrambles to find his phone. “Fuck,” he says again. “Fuck. We’re twenty minutes late.” Andrew starts laughing. “Fuck you,” Neil hisses, stumbling to pull on pieces of his uniform. 

They eventually make it onto the court, a few minutes apart and Neil tries to keep a calm composure. Dan assigns them both twenty miles of running and Neil feels more flushed than usual. He’s not sure if anyone can tell what’s just happened and Andrew is gazing at him with cool indifference. 

Neil wonders if everything’s going to go back to the way it was and thinks that might be the most painful thought he’s had all year. He doesn’t want to regret this. 

He and Andrew get paired to run drills together, and Neil is apprehensive. He doesn’t think he can bare Andrew’s chilly exterior. They’re standing facing each other and they lift to clack sticks. Andrew hits Neil’s so hard he thinks he feels his bones grind together. There’s a flash of teeth behind Andrew’s helmet. “Good luck, Josten,” he sneers, something mocking and knowing in his voice. 

Neil grins. He won’t regret this.


	2. they know we know they know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which the rest of the foxes find out what sort of illicit activities neil and andrew have been up to in their spare time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> part 2!! i initially started this to post on valentine's day and then that didn't work so i finished it for lyra's birthday. one whole year later. happy birthday wife!!

“You slept with him,” Dan says, voice suspiciously calm. Neil shifts in his seat and thinks maybe this wasn’t his smartest idea. “In the locker room.” There’s definitely a flush starting to crawl up his cheeks and Neil knows for sure this wasn’t his best idea. “While the rest of us were in the building.” Her voice has grown in pitch, and peeking at her from under his eyelashes, Neil can tell she’s moments away from leaping over the table to throttle him. 

“Technically,” Neil says, once he’s retained his resolve, “we only fooled around in the locker room. There was no sleeping.” Dan seems to become even angrier, a feat Neil didn’t think was possible. “Or insertion,” he adds, as an afterthought, but that doesn’t seem to calm her. 

Dan slams her hand on the table. They’re sitting in a reasonably crowded restaurant and more than a few heads turn their way at the sound. Neil feels incredibly flustered and isn’t sure what to say to manage this situation. “In what world,” she begins, her voice dangerously low, “did you think it would be a good idea to hook up with the most volatile person on the team. Are you fucking stupid, Neil?” 

Neil frowns. “He’s not going to hurt me, if that’s what you’re saying.” 

Dan throws her hands in the air at that and begins to laugh. Neil’s frown deepens. He knew Andrew wasn’t very well-liked on the team, but he hadn’t expected this reaction from Dan. “I’m not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth Andrew for thirty minutes, Dan,” Neil says, offended. “I told you as a friend and also as a professional courtesy, seeing as you’re team captain. That doesn’t mean you have the right to judge who I may or may not be starting a thing with.” 

She just looks at him, eyes wary. “Does Andrew know you’re here?” Neil gives a short nod. Yes, Andrew did know Neil planned to tell Dan. In fact, he warned Neil of this very reaction and Neil’s sure he’s more than prepared to gloat when he finds out how horribly it went. 

“Be careful,” she sighs, finally, and picks up her menu. “Just be careful.” Glad the conversation is over, Neil buries his face in his menu, still riding the anger from before. His phone buzzes in his lap and he glances down to check it, only to see that Andrew’s texted him. 

_kevin wants me 2 take him 2 the court im coming 2 u_

Neil half-smiles, texting back _Can’t, I’m at lunch with Dan_

_i know_

They’re halfway through lunch when Andrew drops into the chair next to Neil. His hair is disheveled and his cheeks are pink and Neil thinks he’s never seen anything quite as beautiful. Andrew catches him staring and raises an eyebrow, saying nothing, and Neil turns away feeling slightly flustered. Dan catches his eye and gives him a knowing look and Neil decides the best mode of response is to just stare at his food. 

“What are you doing here, Minyard?” Dan asks, cooly. “I don’t remember inviting you anywhere.” Andrew shrugs, unbothered, his leg pressing hotly against Neil’s under the table. 

“Avoiding Kevin.” He says shortly, deftly snatching Neil’s fork out of his hand and proceeding to take a bite of pasta off his plate. Neil debates the merits of kicking him under the table, but decides against it. “Plus, Neil practically begged me to,” he continues, bland as ever. 

Neil chooses that moment to step on Andrew’s foot as hard as he can without Dan noticing. He’s not sure he’s succeeded, judging on the look of dawning horror and confusion. 

As Neil and Andrew walk out of the restaurant together, Neil shakes his head. “That was mean,” he says, not exactly reproachful. After what Dan said about Andrew, he thinks she deserves a small shock. Andrew doesn’t say anything but he grabs Neil’s arm and pulls him against a brick wall of an alley they were passing by. 

“Funnily enough,” Andrew says dryly. “I don’t care.” His lips brush Neil’s neck and Neil arches his back slightly, trying to push into Andrew’s hold on him. Andrew puts a hand on Neil’s hip, his hold tight enough to bruise, the way Neil likes it. 

He’s not ashamed to admit he whines, low in his throat. “Andrew,” he murmurs. Andrew looks at him with dark eyes, pupils blown wide with lust. He presses Neil harder into the wall and kisses him, tongue hot and insistent. 

“Say it again,” he hisses, moving even closer to Neil than he thought was physically possible. 

He kisses Neil’s neck again, stopping in a place high enough to be clearly visible to suck a dark mark into the skin. “Andrew,” his voice stutters, but it seems to incense Andrew, because he’s reaching back up to kiss Neil hot and heady. 

 

Of course, because Wilds’ is a fucking snitch, Boyd’s the second one to find out. Andrew thinks maybe he should have threatened her with bodily harm so she would keep her mouth closed, but in the long run he knows they’re going to find out anyway. He just hates Wilds’ eyes following him around the court, like she’s waiting for him to make a wrong move so she can justify to Neil why he should end things with Andrew. 

Andrew never thought Boyd was particularly smart and his opinion isn’t challenged much when Boyd comes to confront him in the locker room. “Minyard,” he says, one hand on the locker next to Andrew’s, while he’s got his shirt tangled around his head. “We need to talk.” 

Because Boyd’s a fucking pussy and Andrew isn’t, the physical barrier provides no resistance for him. Once Andrew’s wrestled his shirt to where it belongs, he gives Matt a long once-over. “Leave a message,” he suggests, and elbows him in the stomach. Andrew sidles around him and is out of the locker room before Boyd can catch his breath. 

The next time he tries to corner Andrew, he’s slightly smarter about it, but not by much. Smarter in that he comes to Neil’s apartment when he knows Andrew’s there so Andrew can’t do anything violent, like stab him, but also he’s trapped himself in a room with Andrew and Neil together. 

Boyd comes in without knocking. “What the _fuck_ ,” he yelps, hands flying up to cover his eyes. Andrew rolls off Neil, from where he was caging him onto the ground, one hand up his shirt and the other tangled off his hair. He smooths his shirt flat and turns an unimpressed look onto Matt. 

“What the fuck, Matt,” Neil groans, pushing himself up into a sitting position. “What do you want?” Andrew already told Neil about their locker room encounter, and so he can tell Neil’s more annoyed at being interrupted than anything else. 

Matt splutters, his face turning red. “Oh god,” he says, hand still over his eyes. “Are you two decent?” 

“I think you could still catch a glimpse of Neil’s boner if you looked hard enough,” Andrew says, off-hand. Matt yelps and turns around completely, dropping his hand in the process. 

Neil gives Andrew a nasty glare and Andrew just smiles lazily at him. He likes riling Neil up in front of his friends, likes the way his cheeks flush pink and his eyes get all shifty. “Way too much info, Minyard,” Matt groans. “Listen, Dan told me what you guys were up to.” 

Rolling his eyes, Neil gets to his feet, ignoring the way Andrew tries to grab at him to stay on the floor, much to Andrew’s displeasure. “What we were up to?” Neil asks rhetorically. “What are we, in middle school?” 

“I just wanted to make sure, you know, everything was cool. Or whatever.” Boyd is still staring at the wall so Andrew can’t see his face but the tops of his ears are still red. Neil grabs his shoulder and physically turns him around. 

“Why wouldn’t everything be cool?” Neil asks, crossing his arms over his chest. 

Andrew decides he’s missing out on all the fun. “He means because we’re fucking.” Matt shifts uncomfortably. “Doesn’t he?” 

“Well. Yes.” Matt is looking everywhere other than Andrew. “Dan may have mentioned something to that point. And well...” He’s looking at Neil now, sickeningly earnest. “You and Minyard aren’t exactly on the best of terms so I just wanted to make sure everything was... cool. Or whatever,” he finishes lamely. 

Andrew’s having a hard time keeping an impassive face. Just what, exactly, do Neil’s friends think he’s going to do to him. Neil seem to be equally displeased, judging by the stony look on his face. “Do you really think Andrew is doing anything I don’t want him to do?” 

“Well...” Matt looks at Andrew for the first time, looking a little guilty. Andrew gives him a wave, blank faced, and Matt pales some. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.” 

Neil places a hand on Matt’s shoulder and gently but firmly pushes him towards the door. “Thank you for the concern. Good-bye. Say hi to Dan from me, won’t you?” He slams the door in Matt’s shell shocked face. He slumps against the door, hair still disheveled from where Andrew ran his hands through it and turns to look at Andrew. 

“Unbelievable,” he says, dully. “They’re unbelievable. What’s next? Going to Wymack? Going to,” he gives a full-body shudder, “Kevin?” 

Andrew pats the ground next to him. “Come back here, Josten.” Neil drags himself away from the door and drops down next to Andrew. “Does what they say have any effect on whether you want to be here or not?” 

Neil shakes his head mutely. 

“Then it doesn’t matter. Yes or no?” Neil blinks at him, owl-like. 

“Yes.” He’s reaching for Andrew at the same time Andrew moves to reposition himself back into their position before Matt had interrupted them. Andrew kisses him, slow and hot, taking his time. He’s pretty sure Neil locked the door and Kevin never takes his keys. 

 

“Do you fucking mind?” Kevin’s voice cuts through the room, full of scorn. Neil can feel a whole body flush come on at the sound, for good reason. He and Andrew are tangled up on the sofa and Andrew’s got one hand down Neil’s pants, around his dick and the other tangled in his hair while he sucks bruises onto Neil’s neck. 

Neil is in a similarly compromising position, one of his hands on the back of Andrew’s neck holding his head where he wants it, and the other gripping Andrew’s ass under his sweatpants. Andrew’s head whips around and he bares his teeth at Kevin in a mockery of a smile. “Do you fucking mind? We’re a little busy here.” 

“Andrew,” Neil groans, pushing at his chest. Andrew pushes himself up so Neil can arrange himself in a sitting position, and drops down next to him after. 

Kevin looks outraged. He’s got an Exy bag slung over his shoulder and his hair is dark with sweat. “This is what you two were doing when you said you couldn’t make it to extra practice tonight?” Neil tries to look abashed but he thinks he’s failing miserably. He glances at Andrew who has an incredibly bored look on his face. 

“What can I say?” Andrew’s voice is bland. “Neil’s just a little minx. Can’t keep his hands off me.” Kevin’s glare narrows in on Neil, like shards of glass. 

Neil holds his hands up in reproach. “You know I love Exy, Kevin,” he says, still feeling flushed and a little aroused. Andrew rolls his head to look at Neil, a lazy smile touching his mouth. His eyes are still dark and molten and Neil’s dick twitches with interest. 

“God,” Kevin spits. “Stop eye-fucking each other in front of me. Have some goddamn decency.” 

“Sorry,” Neil says distractedly, eyes focused on the way Andrew’s tongue wets his lips. He catches gazes with Andrew again, and there’s a knowing glint in Andrew’s eyes. Kevin scoffs, not managing to rip Neil’s attention away from Andrew. 

“I’m going to Nicky’s. I’ll be back in an hour, you two better be done fucking by then.” Kevin scoffs, storming out. He slams the door behind him. “Fucking disgusting,” Neil thinks he hears Kevin mutter. 

The moment the door locks behind him, Andrew is shifting on the sofa, hands going to Neil’s hips as he works to pull his sweatpants off. “Some people,” he murmurs, mouth tantalizingly close to Neil’s dick, “have no tact.” 

Neil becomes too busy to formulate a response, his hips straining up against Andrew’s hold as Andrew sinks his mouth onto Neil’s dick, rough and hot and all-consuming. 

 

The fourth time it happens, even Andrew has to admit, it looks pretty bad. He’s got a bottle of lube in hand, neither of them are wearing pants and they’re both shirtless. Neil’s wearing just his boxers which do little to conceal his erection and his hair is ruffled in a “just been fucked” kind of way, while Andrew is sure he’s not much better. 

They are also both in the locker room.

“Oh, god,” Nicky squeaks, bumping into a locker door and slamming it shut. “Am I interrupting?” Andrew sees Neil’s eyes close in defeat. 

“It’s not what it looks like,” Neil starts, and Andrew feels a flicker of dry amusement. Surely, he doesn’t think that’s actually going to work. 

Nicky actually laughs, before he remembers what he’s walked in on. “You can’t think I’m going to believe you? Me, the only other gay member of this team?” His voice is incredulous. “Neil.” 

Neil’s head thuds back against the lockers. He pales suddenly, drawing Andrew’s attention. “Dan’s gonna kill me,” he moans. “Technically, we had never slept together in the locker room.” 

“Technically,” Andrew feels the need to point out, “we still haven’t.” He looks at Nicky pointedly, feeling distinctly disgruntled. Ever since the first time he and Neil had hooked up, at the start of their relationship, whatever this was, taking things all the way with Neil in the locker room had been a very frequent fantasy of his. 

“Dan knows?” Nicky asks. “Before me? Neil, how could you?” 

“Who doesn’t know at this point?” Neil asks rhetorically, still sounding upset. 

Nicky gives a little choked sort of laugh, cough-like, drawing both of their attention. “Well, the whole team knows now,” he says, laughing again, his hand coming up and showing them his phone screen where he’s sent a message in the group chat along with a very... detailed meme. 

“I’m going to fucking kill you, Nicky,” Neil says, throwing himself towards Nicky, rather unsuccessfully seeing as Andrew is in his path. Nicky just laughs, looking back down at his phone. Andrew pets Neil’s hair in a condescending manner, slightly turned on by his failed act of aggression. He honestly couldn’t care less who knew, it would just give him and Neil more leeway with the team. 

“Better get dressed, lovebirds,” Nicky says. “Dan’s called a team meeting in the lounge in 15.” 

He leaves the locker room, still laughing, and Neil immediately turns on Andrew. “This is all your fault,” he says, the tips of his ears red. “You were the one who wanted to fuck in the locker room!” 

Andrew just shrugs, reaching around Neil to grab his shirt from where he’d tossed it into the locker. “I didn’t know Nicky was going to walk in.” Neil just frowns, watching with hooded eyes as Andrew pulls his pants up. “Are you upset people know?” 

Neil rolls his eyes, turning around to get his own clothes out of the locker. “Don’t be stupid.” They make their way out of the locker room and join Kevin on the sofa. Dan’s sitting on Matt’s lap in one of the armchairs and Nicky and Aaron are already sitting in the two chairs on either side of the sofa. Allison is laying on her back on the carpet in the middle, but she sits up straight when she sees Neil and Andrew. Renee is sitting cross legged next to her, a serene look on her face. 

“I’d like to be the first to say, _what the fuck_ ,” Allison says, once everyone is settled. “Who knew you two were a couple?” When no one moves to say anything, she frowns. “I want a raise of hands.” Andrew raises his hand first and Allison rolls her eyes. 

Slowly, Dan and Matt join him, along with Kevin and Nicky. Allison throws her hands in the air. “And no one was going to tell me? Do you know how much money I have invested in this?” 

“You were betting on us?” Neil asks, surprised. Andrew thinks his surprise is rather naive. 

“How much did you win?” Andrew asks instead, leaning forward. Allison grins slyly. 

“Enough,” Dan says. “We’re an exy team, not a gossip magazine. It’s no one’s business who’s sleeping with who as long as it doesn’t affect your performance on court.” 

Andrew had been expecting Kevin to agree with Dan, but he disappoints. “You don’t have to live with Andrew,” he sneers. “If I walk in on them one more time I’m filing an official complaint with Wymack.” 

Neil leans forward and glares at Kevin over Andrew. “And tell him what exactly? What exactly do you hope to achieve by doing that?” 

Kevin opens his mouth to answer, but Dan cuts him off. “Enough!” Both Kevin and Neil sink back into the sofa and Andrew rolls his eyes. 

“What Neil and I choose to do in our spare time concerns none of you. So, if you would be so kind, please shut the fuck up.” He smiles sharply, fingering the weight in his wristbands. The unsaid threat hangs over the room. 

“I’m very happy for you two,” Renee says. She smiles pleasantly. Aaron stands abruptly, having said nothing the entire time. He glances at Andrew, gaze unreadable. Andrew smiles blandly at his twin in response. 

“Yes, very happy,” Aaron says. “Can we leave now?” Dan waves her hand and the room scatters almost instantly. Neil stays slumped down on the sofa and watches as everyone leaves. 

Andrew stays next to him, giving him a look from the corner of his eye. “Do you want to make it Facebook official?” He asks. “Would that make you feel better?” 

Neil elbows him sharply in the side. “Very funny.” 

 

Neil leaps out of the way of another ball, his legs burning with the exertion. Wymack blows on the whistle, halting game play for the moment and Neil makes sure to flip Andrew off. Andrew returns the gesture, spinning his racket in his hand. 

Neil can feel the entire team watching them–they have been ever since the news broke–and Neil hates it. “Back to your positions,” Wymack shouts, blowing the whistle again. Neil resumes his spot in front of Andrew, running through his drill of trying to score on Andrew. 

Neil finally manages to catch Andrew off-guard, faking him out and catching the very bottom of the net. Andrew slams the bottom of his racket on the floor, but Neil catches the flash of his teeth from through his helmet and can tell Andrew is smiling. 

Wymack eventually calls an end to the drills. “Alright, everyone, I want you guys to take the afternoon off and I’ll see you here tonight for the game. Good job today.” They move to break off to the locker rooms. “Neil,” Wymack calls, before Neil can follow after Andrew. “Stay for a minute.” 

“What’s up, Coach?” Neil asks, slightly out of breath after the court has cleared.

To his credit, Wymack doesn’t show any discomfort. “Dan told me about you and Minyard.” Neil keeps a straight face, stubbornly. “I just wanted to tell you to be careful and also to make sure you two can still work together on the court.” 

Neil wants to fight, but he recognizes the support for what it is. So instead, he just nods and gives Wymack a slightly forced smile. “It won’t be a problem,” he says. 

It’s their first game together since the whole team knows, Neil realizes halfway through the first half. Somehow, everything seems different, even though no one in the public can tell the difference. Neil feels hyper aware of action he makes, even though he knows his team is too busy to pay attention to what he’s doing. 

Neil misses a goal, having been abruptly knocked out of the way by a backliner, his aim going wild and he can hear Andrew’s angry yell from behind. The crowd goes wild, probably thinking Andrew’s mad at Neil. He can recognize it for what it means, and grins under his helmet. 

The ending of the game comes faster than Neil could anticipate and he’s lining up to fire on the goalie. Thinking back to his drill this morning and pulls the same motions he did against Andrew. The ball hits the net moments before the final buzzer goes off and the crowd rises up in a tide of noise. They’ve won and Neil feels heady with triumph. The rest of the team swarms him, shouting incoherently. 

Neil spies Andrew, helmet off by the goal. His hair is dark with sweat and he’s flushed with exertion. He catches Neil’s gaze and gives him a lazy salute, face blank. Neil’s moving away from the rest of his team without even realizing what he’s doing. He shoves his helmet and racket into Kevin’s arms. 

Andrew must realize what his intent is because he moves towards Neil, leaving his racket leaning up against the goal post. “Yes,” he’s saying as he approaches Neil and Neil cups his face in his hands before kissing him intently. 

It’s awkward and uncomfortable, both of their uniforms and gear too bulky to get particularly close, but Neil can feel Andrew’s pride in the way his hands clench in Neil’s hair. They part, and Neil’s smiling victoriously, chest heaving. 

Andrew gives him an appraising once-over. “You are incredibly stupid,” he says, and he’s almost inaudible in the din of the stadium. 

Neil just laughs. He can’t stop smiling and he doesn’t think he’ll be able to stop anytime soon. “I hate you,” he says cheerily, the rest of the team coming up around them. 

Andrew just shakes his head and kisses Neil again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this ooc from the first part but since i'm writing them i maintain whatever i say is in character is. so. yeah. follow me @zoyalinas on tumblr maybe

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you liked & pls leave comments and such below. u can follow me on tumblr for more trash @amjnyard


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